The RAF’s acquisition of the RC-135 ‘Airseeker’ represented a deliberate effort by both the RAF and US Air Force to set the conditions for further integration. The current lack of greater progress on this vision will represent a lost opportunity for both air forces that will only serve to drive up operating costs.

Despite delays and continuing software problems, the US Army’s planned integrated air and missile defence command construct remains a priority for the Pentagon as it looks to proliferating threats in the coming decades

Initial analysis suggests that the recent ‘Zapad-2017’ joint strategic exercises of Russia and Belarus (14-20 September) justified the concerns of external observers about the scale and content of the exercises, as well as constituting a possible Russian violation of the Vienna Document provisions of 2011

For all intents and purposes, Daesh has been defeated in Iraq and Syria, but key leaders and administrators of the short-lived Islamic State will not simply vanish from the global jihadist environment. They have their eyes set on Afghanistan, and intend to give the Taliban a run for their money.

This issue of Newsbrief includes articles on China's developments in non-kinetic space technology, the state of Arab youth after the 2011 uprisings, what to expect from Xi Jinping's China, and the competition to provide the US Navy with the MQ-25 unmanned tanker.

Holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU for the first half of 2018, Bulgaria hopes to further its role as a diplomatic conduit between Russia and the West. But is this small country, heavily reliant on both parties, capable of mending strained relations?

Amendments to the Chinese constitution in the wake of the recent Party Congress and National People’s Congress reveal eight policy areas on which the Chinese Communist Party, under its leader Xi Jinping, is expected to be active. The West had best be ready.

Three different designs from the contenders for the US Navy’s MQ-25 unmanned tanker contract have now been proposed. Despite the modest ambition behind the MQ-25 requirement set, the eventual selection will have a significant shaping effect on the future of airpower well beyond the context of the US Navy.

In pursuit of establishing itself as a global space power, China has been busy developing and operationalising non-kinetic space technology. But in space, where ‘anything can be a weapon’, risks of oblique militarisation raise concerns over Beijing’s activity in the final frontier.

The Arab Spring of 2011, a time of hope and optimism especially for the region’s young people, has become an Arab Winter. To turn the tide, young people must rally behind a unifying cause and not be discouraged by incremental, imperfect reforms.

This issue of Newsbrief includes articles on suspected security intelligence leaks to Russia by Austria's far-right coalition, symbiosis of mafia and jihadists in Italy, and the use of artificial intelligence in policing, as well as articles on the US Defence budget and Saudi Arabia's Yemen agenda.

BAE Systems, which is one of the prime partners within the Eurofighter consortium that produced Typhoon, and which also produces significant parts of each F-35 built globally, faces a major problem. While ongoing upgrades to Typhoon for customers such as Kuwait and Qatar, and potentially Germany, help to maintain a core of design, integration and testing skills in the workforce, the Typhoon...

Attacks on energy infrastructure are not new. In 2007, the US government ran the Aurora Test to prove that a cyberattack could destroy the physical components of a generator. A few years later, US intelligence used Stuxnet to destroy and disrupt Iranian nuclear centrifuges. This operation presaged a new dawn in cyber warfare, vividly illustrating the digital vulnerability of energy systems....

In parallel with the development of UAVs, the use of airborne sensor/C2 platforms such as the EC-121 and E-3 AWACS for air targets and the E-8 JSTARS and Sentinel R-1 for ground targets has also steadily increased. The radars on these platforms are much more capable than those carried by any fighter-type aircraft because of greater size and power. As a result, they could take on much of the...

Bearing these factors in mind enables a greater level of insight into the purpose of a specific base, and thereby a greater understanding of the strategic outlook of the countries involved. Britain’s choices in the renewal of its overseas posture point to a desire to exert more influence over international events, particularly in the Middle East using naval means. While these choices are not...

China as a Rising Drone PowerChina’s first-generation systems were somewhat rudimentary; simple and capable of carrying a relatively light payload, and were not satellite-linked – meaning they could conduct strikes within a limited scope, but could not operate globally. System development has expanded over the past few years at a rapid rate, leading to the emergence of next-generation systems....

This week saw the maiden flight of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket lofting Elon Musk’s Tesla car, complete with spacesuit-clad dummy, to a trajectory through space that could last millions of years. No mere publicity stunt, this was an extraordinary scientific and technological achievement that will have repercussions throughout the space industry.
In simple terms, the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle...

Since the Democratic Progressive Party returned to power last year, it has launched a broad range of ship building projects, from landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious vessels, frigates, rapid minelayers, submarines to corvettes, which will all be locally built. The minehunter replacement programme was begun earlier in 2014, but is in many respects a pioneer for the recent wave of indigenous...

Image from Twitter via @xinfengcaoSeveral factors suggest that this is an electromagnetic railgun rather than a conventional ‘gunpowder’ cannon mounting. First, the barrel profile appears to be much shorter and broader than modern naval artillery tubes. It also features a stepped design similar to those developed by the likes of BAE Systems and General Atomics for the US Navy’s own railgun...

However, capital ships are increasingly expensive, both to acquire and operate. To increase cost-effectiveness, the US Navy’s expeditionary forces have been actively examining how emerging technologies can enhance the capabilities of each of its ships.One of the technology areas that offers the most promise in this regard is unmanned systems. US Navy policy documents have stressed the importance...

Report on a private roundtable discussion with experts that was hosted in September 2017, to analyse the current landscape of civilian protection in modern armed conflict, and to discuss the role that the UK government could play in addressing them.

The paper provides insights into what London, Paris and Berlin think about the prospects of survival of the E3 format in light of Brexit; it also explored their views as to what the future of Europe’s approach towards Iran and the nuclear deal will be moving forward.

This paper examinines the structural, systemic and cultural issues in the UK’s anti-money-laundering regime as it relates to information and intelligence flows to and from the non-financial sectors of legal services, accountancy service providers, property and estate agencies, and trust and company service providers.

This paper seeks to build on the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) ‘Refreshing Defence Industrial Policy’ of December 2017 by generating eight points that would be key elements of a strategy to implement its intent.

Report on the one-day RUSI conference that focused on exploring whether air forces can, or indeed should, seek to fight like a single weapons system. Delegates heard from the US Air Force and Royal Air Force, alongside representatives from multiple air forces in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Report on a RUSI conference on urban warfare in conjunction with the Institution of Royal Engineers and the Royal Engineers Historical Society on the 75th Anniversary of the German capitulation at Stalingrad.

Report on two days of meetings, co-hosted by RUSI and the British Council, of UK- and Iran-based scholars who discussed the state of Iran–West relations following the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Written by Lord Peter Ricketts, former National Security Adviser and UK Ambassador to France, this Briefing Paper recommends that the UK and France step up joint work on defence, security and nuclear deterrence policy.

Despite a looming split, the UK must seek to create a new relationship with the EU while strengthening ties with major European and non-European partners. Such measures could allow the UK to continue to contribute to resolving major security challenges.

Dr Igor Sutyagin argues that while Russia's recent military modernisation constitutes an important change in its own right, the most significant change is not to the size of the Russian military but to the nature of its forces: instead of being primarily structured for defensive operations (in case of a hypothetical large-scale military conflict), the Russian armed forces are now gaining an offensive-oriented structure, with capabilities tailored for large-scale war.

Professor Malcolm Chalmers presents a personal argument stating that a UK decision to leave the EU would be as significant a shift in UK national strategy as the decision in the late 1960s to withdraw from bases East of Suez and, as a result, would necessitate a new Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).

While the 2015 Spending Review confirmed a stabilisation in the total defence and security budget after a period of sharp decline, a new RUSI report reveals a substantial shift in the way this is being spent across the government.

India’s power projection remains in a nascent stage while its threat perceptions continue to be dominated by local threats. But as the country’s power, interests and capabilities all grow, India may once more find itself using military force beyond its land borders

Despite a decade-long UN arms embargo, North Korea continues to export conventional weapons to state and non-state clients around the world. Understanding the drivers of this trade is essential if the sanctions regime is to be strengthened.

For over a decade, the AKP has sought to remake Turkey's foreign policy. After a series of reversals in recent years, they are staying the course - and drawing a clear distinction between Turkey and the West

For all intents and purposes, Daesh has been defeated in Iraq and Syria, but key leaders and administrators of the short-lived Islamic State will not simply vanish from the global jihadist environment. They have their eyes set on Afghanistan, and intend to give the Taliban a run for their money.

The ongoing Combat Air Strategy under development within the Ministry of Defence faces a difficult choice, with significant capability, industrial and geopolitical cost trade-offs involved. The F-35 is at the centre of this dilemma.

This issue of Newsbrief includes articles on China's developments in non-kinetic space technology, the state of Arab youth after the 2011 uprisings, what to expect from Xi Jinping's China, and the competition to provide the US Navy with the MQ-25 unmanned tanker.

Holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU for the first half of 2018, Bulgaria hopes to further its role as a diplomatic conduit between Russia and the West. But is this small country, heavily reliant on both parties, capable of mending strained relations?

Amendments to the Chinese constitution in the wake of the recent Party Congress and National People’s Congress reveal eight policy areas on which the Chinese Communist Party, under its leader Xi Jinping, is expected to be active. The West had best be ready.

Three different designs from the contenders for the US Navy’s MQ-25 unmanned tanker contract have now been proposed. Despite the modest ambition behind the MQ-25 requirement set, the eventual selection will have a significant shaping effect on the future of airpower well beyond the context of the US Navy.

In pursuit of establishing itself as a global space power, China has been busy developing and operationalising non-kinetic space technology. But in space, where ‘anything can be a weapon’, risks of oblique militarisation raise concerns over Beijing’s activity in the final frontier.

Dr Amanda Sloat is Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs for Southern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean Affair. She speaks with Dr Jonathan Eyal, Associate Director...

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